


Dr. Reid's Apprentice.

by chiefy2k16



Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Vampires, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-18 19:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15493167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiefy2k16/pseuds/chiefy2k16
Summary: Dr. Jonathan Reid becomes an unwilling vampire , a new born ekon . he is a  doctor that specialises in blood transfusions and works at the Pembroke hospital under the rather secretive dr. Swansea. dr. Reid  is also a vampire hunter he's asked by Lady Ashbury to keep an eye on a young hunter by the name of Tarquin, she's part vampire but she's still learning the ropes of being a young ekon , she has a guardian a man by the name of Commodore Carter , he's away at sea in and around Nassau. Lady Ashbury had been granted temporary custody of her but has to attend to something up the country and it would be a bad idea to take her with her. he accepts her request.





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One - The Apprentice.**

 

he's surprised she had agreed to go along with this odd scheme of his...to be bait for a group of rogue skals as he sneaks past them into a building to obtain medical supplies.

it works surprisingly well for them both, granted one of the rogue skals tries to lunge up at the young apprentice as she stood on the wooden balcony outside one of Dr. Reid's hideouts but she'd shot it's head clean off with her double Barrell shotgun with a first shot she'd been thoroughly pleased with herself over that.

her aim had improved a lot since Dr. Reid had taken her on as a temporary apprentice he'd be proud when she told him next.

her older mentor had taken ill and Lady Ashbury had asked Dr. Reid a favour to keep an eye out for the youngest of the old mentor's apprentices, he'd agreed once he'd realised the youngster had a tendency to run herself into trouble and needed a mentor that could keep a watchful eye on her.

she really wanted to go visit her original mentor and show off her newly acquired skills but she knew that wouldn't happen, Dr. Reid had expressed a point in telling her that the mentor was gravely ill and needed proper rest if she were to recover fully. she assumed if she ignored Dr.Reid's words she'd be in a hell of a lot more trouble than she usually got herself into .

there's four of them now clawing angrily at the red brick walls of the building looking for signs of weakness in the structure in an attempt to gain entrance. she knows if they were to find a way in she'd be done for torn to pieces and eaten perhaps while still alive she shudders at the thought of such a brutal death.

Dr. Reid had assured her he'd double checked the downstairs barricades  before he'd left and right about now she was so thankful he'd done so.

he'd clapped her on the shoulder saying "be careful".

she'd nodded suddenly realising just how crazy this plan was , he'd reassured her again probably because his vampire hearing and sense of smell told him she was sweating profusely and her heart started thumping quickly against her chest cavity. she'd remembered vampires had amplified senses especially sight, smell and hearing, she couldn't remember a lot from her studies about vampires as she hadn't been one much for books when she was younger.

Dr. Reid returns just to see her pacing up and down the balcony with practised ease not a care in the world. 

he'd whistled to garner the attention of the nearest flesh-eater, two of them turned around and advanced towards him screeching loudly baring their sharp teeth and clawing the air in a rather menacing way.

he motions for the young apprentice to stay where she is , which lets her know there are more flesh-eaters down there lurking in the shadows that she cannot see.

she watches from above as he slashes at them with a fancy looking sword that she finds out has the name Dragonsbane later on that night. she was wondering where he'd  gotten it from as he was onto his fifth skal now and this one was screeching in agony as he'd cleaved one of it's hands clean off, before she realises what's going on it's corpse is in a bloody heap on the cobblestones below and Dr .Reid is stood before her sheathing his sword into it's tabard on his belt.

his dark red eyes gaze into her blue eyes with concern.

"are you alright ? you seemed a little apprehensive earlier"

"I'm fine now Dr. Reid. one of them flesh eaters tried to jump up to get me but I blew his head off with my first shot, see ? " she says indicating a bloody mess directly below them corpse crumpled up in an s shape on the cobblestones below.

"the flesh-eaters are called skals remember. I'm surprised that hunter isn't shadowing you tonight what was his name mister archer.....no that's not right. mister barker ?" he asks with confusion etched upon his pale bearded face.

I will. you mean Captain Carter ? he's away on a mission for the brotherhood I think, either that or Her Majesty's Royal Navy has sent him on his merry way again" she says rather annoyed.

"hmm well I'm sure he'll be back soon" he says in a confident air in an attempt to keep her in a good mood she'd been having a string of bad luck lately and he didn't want to remind her of it or let her dwell on it either.

"he did tell me he had some business to attend to and that I would be safe with your guidance for the foreseeable future while he's away"

"no return date as of yet , I gather ? " he asked knowing she'd received a long handwritten letter from him yesterday in the post.

"no. are you sick of my presence already , Doctor ?"

he laughs deeply before shaking his head at her.

"I am not. you're different from most vampire hunter apprentices I've met. I'm assuming it's because you're still a student learning the ways of the brotherhood but you aren't as bitter as the others....not yet anyways"

"erhhhhm thanks , I guess...."  she says unsure if he's warning her about what's instore for the future of her career with this job or if it's a compliment.

"it's a good thing to be like this. I promise you " he says in earnest.

"so.... what's next ?" she asks him in curiosity.

 "well  I'm going to stay in this hideout tonight as the sun will be up in a few minutes and I won't be able to make it to the Pembroke hospital in time. I need you to stay here with me while I sleep, I promised your mentor I would keep an eye on you and I'm a man of my word "

she nods and follows him inside the hideout not surprised to see that there was little to no furniture inside it , just the basics, a metal frame bed,  a dusty green armchair,  a battered brown leather trunk,  a wooden workbench painted green  and a withered looking stool by the window. 

it's hard to tell how tired he really is seeing as checking for bloodshot eyes is well it would be stupid she reasons in her mind.

he's a new born vampire, the whites of his eyes are dark red and seem to darken a little more so every night. she assumes as he gets more mature that they'll change like what Lady Ashbury or Lord Redgrave's are but it's not like there's a guidebook on vampire traits now is there.

she'd never actually spent so much time in the company of a vampire at least not to her knowledge.

 

he whips off his overcoat , jacket and tie throwing them at the end of his bed he's about to fall face down on it and go to sleep but then realises he has to take off his shoes untying them as well he huffs.

she sits down on the armchair and yawns , he demands she wear his overcoat for warmth she's been up for three days straight and is starting to feel the effects of no sleep.

she wraps it around her smaller frame and is surprised at how well it retains body heat.

Dr. Reid watches her put on his overcoat and relax into it before he sits down on the edge of the bed and begins untying his shoes.

he pairs them neatly under the bed and glances up to see her already asleep.

he pulls a blanket up over his tall muscular frame and closes his weary reddened eyes.

 

she wakes up the next night to find his overcoat still wrapped around her body but now she's on the bed with a blanket over her also.

she's a little confused to say the least.

she wonders where he is and spots him a few seconds after her dark blue eyes scan the rooms.

he's over by the green workbench hovering creating something but she can't quite make out what it is as he has his back to her.

he turns around unexpectedly and catches her watching him.

" we're awake now, I see ?"

she nods unsure if she wishes to speak or not.

he grins flashing his sharp pearly white teeth at her.

"well rested and ready to work ?"

"yes"

she gets up slowly and shrugs the blanket and his overcoat rather reluctantly leaving it on the bed with his jacket and tie walking the short distance to join him  over by the green workbench.

he shows her how to make a remedy for fatigue and a remedy for a cold.

she learns quite quickly , he is pleased with her progress she manages to master them quite efficiently to his standards for a student and it's then he tells her he must go to the Pembroke hospital for work, he asks that she accompany him and she agrees to knowing she'll have to help him later with other errands sent out by the brotherhood .

they both hurry through the docks district on towards the Pembroke hospital not wanting to attract the attention of any rogue skals or members of the priwen guard.

she shudders at the very though of running into the Priwen guard.

they scare her down to her very marrowbones.

 

 they both arrive at the hospital a little out of breath after having to sprint a whole street length away from some Priwen guard brothers , neither of them had any ammunition left and she didn't have much strength left to start fighting anyone or anything .

she'd been wounded by a skal earlier and now she was feeling the effects start to kick in from the injury.

Doctor Reid had picked her up effortlessly and deposited on the stairs inside the building to better see her wound.

she wanted to waive him off to show she was made of tougher stuff but the throbbing pain in her side was distracting her and thus rendering her mute for the time being.

a young nurse by the name of Pippa came over asking " if Dr. Reid needed any assistance ? "

he shook his head in the negative saying "not necessary Nurse Hawkins but thank you anyways" 

she nods and leaves them looking a little surprised but goes about the rest of her duties.

his young apprentice had grimaced when he pulled up her dark green shirt to assess the damage .

the shirt was stuck on the wound .

"damn... I'm going to have to take this all off to better see what's going on. come with me my office is better equipped for this and there are no available beds down here"

she almost yelps out in fear as he picks her up quickly but remembers she's in a hospital full of sick, dying and recovering patients people in worse states than she is so she bites her lip to keep quiet and to distract herself from the pain in her side.

he's surprised at how quiet she is as he carries her to his office/ living quarters.

he kicks his door open with ease managing not to jostle her too much to her intense relief and slams the door shut after he lowers her down onto his bed.

Jonathan gets stuff from his workbench for her, some length of gauze, surgical implements and opium to numb the pain.

he lays them out on the trunk next to his bed and then helps her to sit up.

 

she winces in agony as he removes her black bloodstained jacket and waistcoat. 

"I'm afraid the shirt will have to come off, my dear, will you be alright with one of mine until I have this one repaired ?" 

"I suppose I'll have to make do" she says in a posh tone in an attempt to make light of the situation.

he smiles at the attempt knowing she's putting on quite the brave act . he goes about removing the shirt , careful not to jostle her too much . it comes off eventually and he gets her to lay down so he can assess the wound thoroughly. 

she grimaces in pain as he prods her torso with his large hands quickly pressing down more harshly in some areas more so than others  followed by his baritone voice questioning "is it more painful  here or  **here** ?"

"there! definitely there Dr. Reid "

he nods to himself not realising she can see him or his face contort in confusion for a moment or two.

"is this fixable ?" she says motioning to his wound with a worried look.

"it'll be fine. trust me I'm  a doctor"

just as he finished his sentence he injects her with a dose of opium essentially knocking her out.

 

 

she wakes later in the night to find her torso wrapped in bandages with a clean black shirt on her.

 Dr. Reid is sat at the side of the bed with her dried blood on his forearms sewing closed the hole in her favourite green shirt.

she passes out again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. THOUGHTS

**Thoughts.**

 

 

he's supine on his bed inspecting his fingernails with interest as his "borrowed protégé " (as Lady Ashbury had termed her) sits on the rough hewn wooden balcony outside his window people watching the doctors nurses and patients of Pembroke hospital.

he's scrubbed his hands thoroughly after the surgery but he can still smell blood he's wondering where he could have possibly missed but he can't see any and it's starting to annoy him but he realises it may be a very insignificant speck of blood about his person his senses are too well attuned he thinks as he sits up on the bed.

she scratches her chin in thought before leaning up against the window frame and coughing into her hand violently for a few seconds.

he side eyes her for a moment wondering if she's sick and too afraid to mention it to him for fear he won't let her train until she's well again. he'd done that a while ago when she'd had a case of the flu , she was fine now though from what he could see of her.

he then shakes his head at this absurd notion before rising from the bed and swinging his long legs over the side and then donning his shoes.

he laces them up and knots them expertly before looking around for his overcoat, he spots it underneath his "borrowed protégé's " butt being used as a cushion.

he arches an eyebrow at this but says nothing smoothing his hair out of his face.

 

he crouches down beside her watching the people below staying silent.

they have no errands or missions to attend to tonight but he's been told not to let her out of his sight by Dr. Swansea. an easy task he thinks but he has no idea what he is in for , this girl is very crafty when it comes to evading people when she wants to.

she won't attempt anything tonight as she's rather tired of all the running around they'd had to do lately.

a shout rings out in the street below and gains their attention, she's about to jump down to investigate but Dr. Reid stops her. 

"I will go. I'm the mentor for all intents and purposes for the foreseeable future "

he hops down to the cobbled street below with light feet crouching down barely making a whisper of a sound as he rights himself to  a standing position.

she wonders about her previous mentor if she'll ever see her again, if Dr. Reid knows something she doesn't perhaps, he probably does. she pauses mid- thought to see him  jump down effortlessly to assess the situation without his overcoat on.....

from what she can gather it's an irate patient bellowing at the young nurse Ms. Hawkins demanding blood.

she can see Dr. Reid stand in front of the nurse putting himself in as a physical barrier in case there is an altercation.

he says something quietly to the patient in a means to placate her troubled self but because of the distance the young hunter up on the balcony can't hear them.

she stays up there on her perch waiting for the incident to end. 

 

he returns minutes later a grimace adorning his face. he wipes a hand down his features and sighs loudly.

"that patient seems to be hallucinating "

"really ?"

"hmm yes. she thinks she is a vampire and attempted to leave....to feed"

"is that so Dr. Reid ?"

"yes. it's called Cotard's Syndrome. I find it's easier to go along with some patients delusions"

"does it not...worry you someone will hear about her and err think she is a vampire ?"

"yes. but the last group that were  investigating her have mysteriously vanished"

"you didn't..." she says with a look of mild surprise gracing her lamplit face.

he smirks to let her know he did.

"I have no idea what you are insinuating my dear little protégé "

she's quiet for a beat or two and he wonders if perhaps he'd told her too much.

she then laughs a deep chuckle erupting from her chest cavity and he smirks his dark eyes sparkling evilly as he perches on the makeshift balcony next to her his long trouser clad legs dangling over the edge with abandon as he swings them to the same rhythm she swings her own.

she inhales deeply the night air gazing up towards the night sky.

"I love the night air, makes me feel calm for some indescribable reason"

"I know what you mean....it's quiet but you can sometimes hear people or animals in the fog wandering around. it's a comfortable feeling deep in the soul is it not ?"

she nods at his statement kicking her legs back and forth as they dangle next to his.

he copies her but he scissors his legs at the same speed as hers, he could go faster but he keeps pace with her.

she eventually stops and he does too. 

"want to accompany me on my rounds ?"

"yeah, s'not like I got much choice" she says knowing Dr. Swansea told him to keep a sharp eye on her.

"that's the spirit " he says cheerfully ignoring her caustic tone of voice.

she snorts and then he laughs as she stands up. 

he retrieves his overcoat and slips it on. 

he gestures for her to follow him and she does.

they exit his quarters/ office.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. The Commodore

**The Commodore.**

 

Dr. Jonathan Reid is absentmindedly scratching his beard as he watches his "borrowed protégé" at the headquarters of the brotherhood chattering away to another protégé .

he looks rather bored in her presence.

his left eyebrow ticks up at this he decides he doesn't like this young man.

he glances around to see if anyone is close by to witness him teach this bloke a lesson in manners towards the ladies but before he can another protégé this one a girl swoops in and grabs his protégé by the sleeve saying "excuse us as I must speak with Tarquin, you don't mind , do you ?"

he shrugs and the other girl glares at him to which he wisely decides to wander away.

 

Dr. Reid decides to investigate.

he wants to know what the new girl is up to. is she friend or is she foe ?

he eavesdrops a lot this night but this is one of the more memorable conversations he overhears. 

he realise from the older girls behaviour she clearly has the best interests of tarquin at heart.

he's not surprised, she's a sweet girl when she's not fighting to death with a skal or a priwen guard member , that is.

the other girl essentially tells her the young man clearly has no interest in her in that way.

he's into older women which is when they have a little laugh together over his mentor being a woman in her mid 40's and him barely 20 yrs old yet.

Dr. Reid smirks to himself once he hears this but he does not laugh lest he give away his position.

her friend asks her about her "borrowed mentor" to which she replies "I like him, he isn't rude for starters".

"he's easy on the eyes too " her friend comments sending her a wink as she bumps her with her hip. she shakes her head at her.

"oh no...don't start talking like that. last time I ended up admitting Dr. Strickland had a nice bum and every time he sees me he winks or waggles his eyebrows at me"

"he hasn't tried anything right ?" she asks her sharp eyes darting to see tarquin's face as she answers.

"oh no. he's not interested he just likes to tease me every so often"

"are you scared of what Dr. Reid will do if he heard you say something about him ?"

"no. he's an understanding man he'd realise it's just girl talk. he's different . he doesn't judge you based on one single thing"

"oh....a rare man indeed. why does he...reserve his judgement do ya think ?"

"I have no idea. I'd rather not ask him"

"hmm. maybe I could ask him ?" she says with mischievous eyes darting around the ballroom. tarquin smacks her lightly on the shoulder. "no. I wouldn't recommend that "

"why ? is he quick to anger ?"

"no, but I don't think asking him a lot of questions after he's been appointed as a new mentor is a good idea …"

"fine. I'll leave him be . soooo…..any hot guys caught your attention then in the turquoise turtle the other night ?"

"uhh no"

 

 there's a pause followed by his protégé 's heart rate picking up for a few beats before it quietens down again. he wonders if she's embarrassed by whoever it is she's thinking about . her friend laughs. "relax kid I'm only joking. I know you'd tell me if someone caught your eye "

they both laugh again and this time Jonathan takes this as his cue to leave them. he wanders past the young man from earlier to see him talking to a woman clearly in her 80's with a rather grizzly scar down one side of her face, he's intrigued by the needlework skills taken by a clearly very skilled surgeon to leave such a fine thin scar on the face.

he passes them thinking it would be rather rude to interrupt them .

he almost walks into the larger ballroom and at the last moment hisses and turns around.

he detests dancing and only ever used it as an excuse to rescue his sister from creepy suitors or have a chat with her about someone he didn't like.

his mother had paid for the finest teachers available when they were children so no one could fault their skills on the dancefloor.

his protégé darts up to him.

"sir...I wish to leave"

she looks on edge and he wants to know why.

he rests his free hand on her shoulder staring into her dark blue eyes with an air of calm emanating from him.

she visibly relaxes once she realises he's listening raptly.

"why ? is someone bothering you ?" he asks his concerned eyes boring into hers as she steels herself to answer. 

"yes. and he's making me nervous. I don't wish to be in his presence "

"understandable. we cannot leave yet as questions would be asked. (she looks sad for a beat or two before he says) I'll make sure he doesn't approach you . how's that ?"

Tarquin nods enthusiastically and he steers her towards the ballroom. 

"can you dance ?"

"no sir. never had the occasion to"

"that's all right. I'll show you it's not very difficult"

he steers her by the lower back into the ballroom to see a man in a red tailcoat following them with glowering eyes.

he rolls his eyes at this man as they enter the ballroom he steers her onto the ballroom floor.

he's sorely tempted to stick his tongue out at him but refrains from doing so.

"put your feet on my shoes"

"but people will----" she says looking anxiously around themselves.

"I don't care. I've promised to teach you how to dance and this is how I'm going to do it. now come on or that man in the red tailcoat will attempt to intervene"

"attempt ?" she questions as she steps on his shoes.

"yes. attempt" he says as he whirls them around the ballroom floor effortlessly. 

a few people make room for them as the red tailcoat man watches from the balcony above with an irritated look gracing his noble features, his arms spread on the wooden balcony.

Jonathan thinks nothing of his movements its all muscle memory to him, she's in awe of how smooth his movements are but says nothing.

her friend spots her and waves energetically from beside Dr. Swansea.

she flashes a grin at her back. 

she blushes when a woman with a big glass of red wine laughs loudly almost bellowing and points out she is standing on his feet.

he growls and bares his sharp teeth at the woman, who not having expected a reaction from him , shrieks in fear and flinches away to his protégé's delight.

he gets a grim sense of satisfaction out of that cruel woman's fear. 

a tall , broad shouldered man wearing a navy and gold brocade commodore's jacket and the rest of the outfit that goes with the title laughs as the cruel woman dashes past him out of the ballroom.

he makes eye contact with the protégé and winks at her  who hides her face in Jonathan's waistcoat out of sheer mortification.

upon realising she's done this he glances down and mutters "what's wrong ? that woman has run off somewhere , you should be smiling not hiding your face in my waistcoat"

"nothing's wrong. I was smiling. until I saw him " she says gesturing to the young brown haired & brown eyed commodore.

"you know him ?" he asks with surprise.

"yes. he's my guardian , he adopted me when I was a child. he's so embarrassing. I can't believe he's finally back from the Caribbean"

"your guardian ?"

"yeah , my mentor she and him found me wandering the streets late one night when they were on patrol. they ended up scouring the nearby streets to see if I belonged to someone. it was then they found the guards of priwen in the act of murdering my mother. she was a demon, my father was a vampire. they decided to take me in. nice outta them they didn't have to they cudda left me there. they still haven't found my father"

"I'm sorry for your loss, little one. what was he doing out in the Caribbean ?"

"thank you. well he'll say he was out capturing pirates . I personally think he was on a mission for the brotherhood"

"a mission ?"

"yes. I may have overheard him talking to the leader of the brotherhood late one night when I was supposed to be bed "

"ah I see"

"would you wish to avoid dancing with him ?" the good doctors asks her with concern wondering if she might have a lecherous guardian.

it wasn't unheard of but that kind of thing was always hushed up. she shakes her head .

"no I wouldn't" 

the rising fear he'd had that she'd been taken advantage of disappeared once he realised she didn't seem fearful of her guardian. 

"is he good to you ?"

"yeah . all I gotta do is ask him for something so long as it's within reason and he lets me have it"

Dr. Reid is silent as he mulls this last bit of information over in his head still guiding young Tarquin around the polished ballroom floor with an ease most men would envy.

"don't uhh judge him too harshly over his behaviour towards me Dr. Reid . it's just that he's told me he feels guilty   that he's away so often so I just go with it "

"wouldn't dream of it my borrowed protégé . now what do I do if he intervenes for a dance ?" Jonathan asks with mischief gleaming in his dark eyes.

"I'm going for a stab in the dark here sir and suggest you do what you want. I'm guessing you'll wanna finish teaching me this dance firstly ?"

"I never said it would be one form of dance. it's multiple forms of dance. you should pay better attention to how people word things. now then.....follow my lead" he says smirking  as she laughs when he whirls her around dangerously fast. 

there are some couples looking towards them with annoyance as he sweeps them in a wide circle on the dancefloor.

he glances up to see the woman who'd made fun of his protégé earlier talking on the balcony above them to the creepy man in the red tailcoat. she gestures towards them below and Dr.Reid feels a surge of anger as he can hear what they're saying quite clearly and they're plotting to do something bad to the both of them. 

he decides to head them off. 

as they're still deep in conversation he sweeps her off the ballroom floor and into the other ballroom , the room that's full of members of the brotherhood nearby. safety in numbers and all that. the commodore excuses himself from the young gentleman he'd been conversing with and exits out to the smaller ballroom.

the majority of the members are chatting and drinking in small groups enjoying their celebratory night.

"show's over kid. I'll teach you the other dances some other night. come on , let's go"

"we get to leave ?" she asks with incredulity.

"yes . ah here comes the commodore" he says keeping one of her hands in his as he pulls her out of the building into the ornate garden surround the house. 

the commodore catches up with them.

"Tarquin, where are you off to ?"

"Dr.Reid said he'd escort me home. we saw that man in the red tailcoat again"

the commodore looks behind himself to see if the man is following them and he isn't. "well that's a very kind offer. is this the man Lady Ashbury told me about, your erm temporary mentor ?"

"yes. Dr. Reid this is my guardian , Commodore James Carter from her majesty's royal navy. father , this is Dr. Jonathan Reid he works over at the Pembroke hospital. you are both vampire hunters so...you have that much in common" Tarquin finishes somewhat lamely.

she swings Dr. Reid's hands as all three of them leave the garden and walk home.

the Commodore has a skip to his step as he bounds along beside his adopted child. 

Dr.Reid's mind is off in a world of his own as Tarquin and James chatter amongst themselves about their recent adventures.

James is describing a rather riveting tale of how he and his crew had survived during a very nasty tropical storm .

he'd had to put the majority of the men below decks and worked with a skeleton crew steering the ship through the storm . 

 

eventually the story ends and Tarquin launches off about her last mission with her previous mentor a month after James had left for the Caribbean.

she loses her smile about halfway through her tale as she remembers something she hadn't noticed before now.

Dr. Reid senses her heartrate pick up and glances down at her.

she shakes her head and returns to her story with James eyeing her with curiosity before he starts to question her about what happens next.

it's then that James asks about her previous mentor Lady Hall's passing.

"it was quick from what I was told"

"who told you ?"

"Lady Ashbury and Dr. Swansea"

"how are you faring in all this ?"

"well I miss her but there's not much I can do about it father"

"hmm I know. when we get home would you like to build a pillow fort it might cheer you up?"

Tarquin laughs, a deep full bodied one that booms out in the cold London night.

"it's been years since we've done that. I suppose ..do I get to drink as much hot chocolate as I want ?"

he nods "you can do whatever you want"

"brilliant !"

she starts to swing Dr.Reid's hand again.

they're almost home they realise.

Dr.Reid uses his senses to see if the red tailcoat man is around and is relieved to see that he isn't.

 

 

 he says goodnight to them and Tarquin lets go of his hand to be escorted inside home by her guardian Commodore James Carter.

 

Dr.Reid goes home and goes straight to bed. he wakes the next night realising it's still another day until Lady Hall's Funeral.

he wants to go and be a source of support for young Tarquin.

he scrubs his large hand down his bearded face in an effort to wake himself up more effectively.

he'd been sent another letter from Lady Ashbury as he found out rather quickly due to Avery striding up the hall to him and presenting him with the mail.

he'd been attempting to hide a smile as he presented the letters to him.

Jonathan sighs at this he knows Avery knows of his schoolboy crush on Lady Ashbury and is all for them getting together to his intense embarrassment.

he swiftly departs from Jonathan stating he was going to clean up the kitchen.

Jonathan nods absentmindedly at this statement as he opens her second letter with something akin to  joy spreading across his facial features as he reads.

he lets out a loud whoop of delight as he finds out she's coming back to attend Lady Hall's funeral to offer Tarquin moral support and also that she wanted to have a conversation with him alone.

 

 

**TWO DAYS LATER...….**

_the funeral had to be delayed as there'd been a mistake at the morgue and they had misplaced Lady Hall's body and they had been given the wrong body for the funeral. they were furious to say the least._

his protégé is among the mourners with a black armband on her arm wearing one fancy looking three piece suit. it must have been Lady Ashbury's idea as Lady Hall had fully approved of Tarquin wearing suits instead of dresses as a tribute to Lady Hall.

she looks genuinely upset as the elderly priest says a few prayers over the ornate grave her mentor is most likely not occupying.

Dr. Reid had been told the truth of her death.

she'd been healing well enough to the point she could go out again and go about her daily life and had gone out to attend to an errand , as she went down a side street she'd been overwhelmed by a minor case of fatigue had stopped to rest by a wall when three rogue skals had happened upon her in a deserted stone courtyard.

a young woman had been smoking above them outside on a wooden balcony had witnessed the entire thing but had been in no position to help or to seek it.

they most likely tore her to shreds and consumed the majority of her remains he thinks grimly to himself.

Dr. Swansea had told him all this as he had been put in charge of figuring out what had happened to Lady Hall on that terrible Tuesday night.

Jonathan has her arm resting in the crook of his arm as they silently watch an aged man in a shiny suit takes over from the priest to say some words about Lady Hall.

it turns out she was his niece. a stab of pity runs through Dr. Reid for this man he doesn't know him but he feels bad for this man.

he mentions her protégé by name and asks her would she like to say something ? with such a pleading look.

she gulps audibly and looks up at Dr. Reid quickly .

"what do I do , sir ?"

"say something from the heart that usually works at these kinds of things …."

she nods to the old man who visibly brightens at her agreeing to speak well of her previous mentor.

he squeezes her hand before she walks up to the podium alone and begins to speak.

 

Dr. Reid walks her past the stone church with the rest of the funeral attendees in complete silence. 

there are others in the little group that are thinking of continuing their night on in the nearest pub which happens to be the Turquoise Turtle, there are murmured agreements among the majority of the group.

Jonathan and his young protégé shake their heads in unison once asked" if they're going to have a few ?"

the woman that asked them persists and Jonathan is sorely tempted to tell the woman to back off! but then he realises this woman is in grief , it won't do anyone any good to start a fight tonight. he acquiesces to her request and his protégé arches an eyebrow at him as if to say "what are you doing ? I can't drink and neither can you"

he gives her a look as if to say "play along with me"

even though his protégé is too young to consume alcohol everyone even Tom Watts and Sabrina Cavendish will apparently  turn a blind eye to her having a beer in the Turquoise Turtle. 

Dr. Reid has an amused look on his face as he watches her take her very first sip of a beer.

the Commodore watches them from a nearby table.

"Bleurghhh! it's disgusting . why would anyone want to drink this ? " she asks with genuine disgust to her mentor.

 

"it helps some people to forget their troubles for a while. I don't think it has anything to do with taste" he answers her whilst crossing one leg over the other. he takes a large gulp of his beer in order to fit in knowing he'd stick out like a sore thumb in these parts if he didn't drink after a funeral. 

he offers to buy her a coca cola to get rid of the taste of the disgusting beer but she declines his generous offer and takes another sip of her beer .

he can't help but admire her determination to fit in .

he wouldn't have cared at her age, he then thinks that maybe she is trying to forget her mentor's death after all the woman had been like a mother figure to the girl at a time when no one else was.

he eyes her critically watching for signs of anger or sadness to appear over her loss but she remains quiet for quite some time occasionally taking a sip of her beer.

two old men are sat beside them on a small table chattering away to each other about a recent cock fight they'd attended talking about each fighter's progress and what type of fighting styles each fighter had brought to the pit.

Commodore James Carter ends up approaching them halfway through the protégé's second beer, she was leaning against Dr. Reid humming a tune to herself. he doesn't have the heart to make her move even though his arm has gone dead now. 

his jacket is around her shoulders to keep her warm.

  James asks them if he can join them and Dr. Reid eyes him up and down before responding with "if you really must"

he plonks down opposite the protégé and gauges her appearance. 

"is she drunk ?"

"no. if I were drunk I'd be on the floor by now"

at this statement the Commodore now realises why Jonathan had let her lean against him earlier he'd probably thought she'd fall down drunk to the floor. 

Dr. Reid smirks and takes a large sip of his beer.

"are you alright , Darling ?"

"yes, but I'm not your Darling"

"forgive me but I have been raising you since you were 6 years old so I think I'll be sticking with the pet names"

Dr. Reid watches their little exchange with interest thinking you could easily mistake them for siblings if you didn't know them very well. they both have brown hair and pale skin but she has rose tinted cheeks where he does not and even though their eyes are blue his are a dark , stormy blue where as hers are a electric blue.

the good doctor lets out a little huff of air as his protégé resettles herself against his warm body.

James stares at the scuffed and scarred table beneath his beer glass as he thinks to himself.

the young protégé has found that the fabric of Dr. Reid's waistcoat has a rather fascinating quality to it...if she brushes her hand over it the fabric moves with her hand movements.

James glances up to see her doing this and he can't help but smile as he picks up his glass and drains half the glass in one gulp. he remembered she used to do something similar as a child when he got a new uniform , the colours used to fascinate her, they still do it seems.

the young protégé lets out a rather contented sigh as she leans more into Jonathan's warmth in the crowded noisy pub.

an old red haired man at the far end of the room begins to sing, it's an old song, called the unquiet grave. the doctor had heard Tarquin sing it from time to time, it turns out it was her mentor's favourite song.

she hums along with the old man and it's only once James  joins in that everyone else does even Jonathan does to the utter delight of Tarquin. it seems she likes his Baritone voice when she's drunk . he finds it incredibly amusing and decides to poke fun at her later over it but for now he leaves her be. the song ends and another begins. 

 

she wakes to find she's being carried bridal style by her guardian James with Jonathan strolling along beside them a smirk gracing his features as they pass under a lamplight. 

she asks to be put down but the Commodore is having none of it.

Dr. Reid finds her irritation at being carried around incredibly amusing.

she spots his smirk outta the corner of her eyes.

"It's not funny, sir !"

"yes it is, my young protégé. were we not in a similar position a few nights ago ?" he enquires with an evil grin.

"that was different. there were rats...everywhere in that building " she squeaks out in annoyance.

the Commodore chuckles beneath her.

"rats....of all the things in the world to be scared of, you're scared of rats ? really ?"he asks incredulously.

"I'm not scared of them. I just don't trust them. they can run up your trouser leg and bite you, y'know ?"

"I've seen some of the men bitten by them before on my ships"

 

Jonathan engages him in conversation about this and James happily chatters away with him about life at sea at length. 

the young protégé falls asleep and Jonathan offers to take her  out of the Commodore's hands as he looks a little winded now.

he's grateful they haven't encountered any guards of priwen, rogue skals or ill formed beasts.

 he's not too sure James knows he's a Vampire or Ekon whatever the term is.

they cross a stone bridge and are at a side entrance to the Pembroke hospital, a nurse rushes over assuming they need help but Dr. Reid politely brushes her off.

"it's alright Nurse Hawkins , she's asleep . this is Commodore Carter, her guardian. Commodore, this is Nurse Hawkins."

he leaves to chat as he takes Tarquin upstairs to his quarters, he places her in his bed and removes his books from his armchair beside the hearth onto his medical desk.

he rushes into the storage room to his left and brings in a cot and sets it up for the Commodore.

he grins when she mutters in her sleep.

he kisses her on the forehead as Jonathan busies himself with untying his shoes and removing his waistcoat before flopping down onto the armchair with a groan.

the Commodore removes her borrowed jacket from the good doctor as well as her own one along with her tie and he unties her new shoes as well so she's comfortable. 

"thank you for letting us stay Jonathan"

"you're welcome. goodnight James" Jonathan utters sleepily.

the Commodore pulls the blankets up over his adopted child saying "sleep well dear one"

he walks over to the cot that had been set up for him removes his naval jacket and waistcoat quickly he slowly lowers himself down onto the cot to remove his dark brown leather boots he gets them off with slow drunken movements he lines them up under the cot and folds the jacket and waistcoat leaving them at the end of his cot as he eases himself under the blankets and lets out a few huffs of air until he finally lays down on his left side and drifts off to sleep. 

Jonathan watches him for a few moments before glancing over to the bed seeing she is in fact asleep he drifts asleep too.

 

 

 

 

 


	4. a broken leg.

**A Broken Leg.**

 

  _Dr. Jonathan Reid is perched on his makeshift balcony contemplating his options on how to feed. "people (citizens) , Skals or Rats ?" he muses to himself he makes a face of disgust at this last option and he hisses. his sharp eyes spot a commotion on the street below, he sees Dr. Aykroyd practically dragging his young protégé into the hospital clearly saying "I'm pretty sure that leg is broken so no arguments. I'm a doctor  I know what I'm doing "  Dr. Reid scoffs at this and drops down to the cobbled street  below with ease. his overcoat flaps energetically behind him as he catches up to them. "how did this happen ?" he demands concern tainting his baritone voice. "she was defending herself from a group of infected citizens when I happened across the scene , one of them must have grabbed her leg and twisted it in a sharp turn"  Dr. Reid nods. "I'll take her from here Dr. Aykroyd , and leave you with your rounds ?"  "I have a few minutes to spare Dr. Reid before my rounds begin besides you'll need someone to hold her down as you set her leg back into place" "ah yes I suppose you're right" Dr. Reid nods  again as his protégé sways on the spot having nothing to lean against he grasps her firmly about the waist in an attempt to steady her. "we should start on  the leg, yes ?" "yes we will" they exit the entrance hall they'd been stood in and enter the organised chaos that is the Pembroke Hospital. Dr. Aykroyd suggests the upstairs surgery as there is nowhere downstairs to accommodate young Tarquinius. Dr. Reid agrees. if it were up to Dr. Reid he would be doing this by himself but for appearances sake he'll accept Dr. Aykroyd's help. his protégé is trying very hard not to make any noises of pain she doesn't want to disturb the patients sleeping nearby. it's a bit of surprise to Dr. Aykroyd that she has such control over herself at such a young age but Dr .Reid knows better , she's been trained to behave like this by the brotherhood. they place her on the metal surgery table and Dr. Reid knows they must distract her so he looks to Dr. Aykroyd._

 

"what were you doing out so late at night down by the docks ?" 

"I was visiting----ahhhhhhh!"

she interrupts herself mid sentence with a screech of anguished pain.

she tries to rise up to stop them but Dr. Aykroyd pins her down to the surgery table with ease.

she grunts out "a distraction.....very clever" before passing out as Dr. Reid sets her leg in plaster bandage, rolling up his sleeves  he sets the warm dish of water on the prep table nearby  humming to himself as he soaks the bandages and applies them to her leg.

he grins.

Dr. Aykroyd is checking her for other signs of injuries. she has scratch marks on her forearms , some are rather deep they don't look as if they are from a skal but from a cat if he were to guess. Dr. Reid keeps his opinions on her injuries to himself the less said soon is mended as Avery always says.

"she'll need these taped up with bandage or stitched depending on your preferences but you might want to do them now, saves on the anaesthetic"

"hmm yes. stitches it is then. my thanks for your help Dr. Aykroyd"

"no need for thanks. she was a citizen in need of help I would have done it for anyone"

he leaves and Dr. Reid continues to smooth the cast with his plaster soaked hands deep in thought.

"gods wounds girl! what were you thinking wandering around the docks on your own" he growls out quietly.

he grips the sturdy metal table beneath her in a way of calming himself from the rage and fear battling deep within himself.

he calms himself enough to retrieve rubbing alcohol , a needle and  some thread to sew up the scratches on her forearms.

she doesn't wake up as he neatly swabs her numerous wounds and stitches them with a surgeon's precision closed. he double checks she's still breathing as she hasn't moved in a while but she is and secretly he's relieved.

he puts away the remaining items leftover from stitching her up then washes his hands thoroughly in a nearby sink, he dries them and then picks her up deftly in his arms not happy with letting her stay too long in the cold surgery room.

he strides down the hall to his quarters quickly. 

he settles her on his bed before striding back out the door to retrieve his overcoat and drapes it over her along with a thick blanket.

he descends back downstairs giving out remedies to the other members of staff and patients alike before returning upstairs.

she's woken up.

"how long was I gone ?" he thinks out loud as he watches her attempt to sit up. 

"stay where you are little one. your leg is in plaster bandage"

she frowns and then grimaces after trying to move her immobilised leg.

"don't do that. what really happened ?"

"first tell me how bad this is ?" she demands pointing to her leg.

"it's a clean break"

"good to know. I was visiting someone Dr. Reid. it was urgent !"

she chews on the collar of her dark shirt a habit he assumes as the other side of her collar looks heavily chewed upon as well.

"nothing is so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning. it's not safe out there at night especially the docks !" he states angrily.

 

she shrinks away from him and he regains his composure after realising he'd been leaning over her with a feral gleam to his reddened eyes.

"there's this old woman .....Enid Gillingham and I was making sure none of them skals got into her place tonight. she's gotten forgetful these last few months and her memory isn't what it used to be. I saw her front door wide open a few nights ago so I decided to start checking up on her"

he 's internally screaming her kindness is going to get her killed or worse seriously injured....he wants to shake some common sense into her he decides there and then he'll check in on the old woman for his own peace of mind as well as his protégé 's .

" I was returning back here to you through the Whitechapel district when a small wild beast clawed at me from behind a pile of rubbish---" she utters taking in a deep breath to finish the rest of her tale.

"it was something akin to a small dog in human form ?"

"yeah . how'd you know ?"

"I've encountered them before. they're extremely dangerous in their juvenile forms, Tarquinius. please continue"

she ignores the fact that he just used her name and continues on.

"well this one was very small but incredibly violent for something so small. it looked like the form of a child, kind of surprised me is all, sir"

he clears his throat noisily before speaking to her.

"well next time.... consider how this one's attack left you. there won't be a second chance to live to fight another day if you're dead. the next one you encounter will kill you. this was a fortunate night for you , little one"

she nods unable to speak . she knows he's right  but still it's a bit of a shock to be so blunt about her act of stupidity.

he rests a large hand on her shoulder urging her to lie back down and rest.

"Tarquinius, I apologise for ah being so blunt with you but you must do as I instruct in these matters . it is for your safety as well as my own peace of mind"

she accepts his apology and he makes sure she's tucked in before he retires to his armchair to sleep.

he'd asked Milton to ask Pippa to bring something for Tarquin to eat (she prefers the shortened version of her name) preferably something hot.

Nurse Pippa does it without complaint Tarquin thanks her before she leaves.

when Nurse Pippa had entered  Dr. Reid's room , she'd spotted him curled up in an almost ball in his brown leather armchair muttering in his sleep. he had his back to the door and was facing the seat of the chair occasionally he growled a deep rumble escaping his chest.

Tarquin was half awake and looking about her blearily rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Nurse Pippa had brought a piping hot bowl of porridge with some watered down milk to lower the temperature a bit.

the Nurse introduces herself and they become acquaintances.

 

roundabout six in the evening Dr. Reid wakes up from his "sleep".

he glances over to his bed quickly to see Tarquin running a comb through her short hair.

"up already I see ? " Dr .Reid says in a rumbling voice rising gracefully from his armchair. with all the grace he can muster he groans as he stretches his arms up above his head in an effort to wake up better. she snorts in annoyance as she tries to tame her tangled up hair with no mirror to see what she's doing.

"here let me" he says gesturing to the comb in her less damaged forearm. she hands him the comb and he sets to work. he leans over her humming to himself. she's surprised at how quick he untangles and brushes through her  short hair. 

"ever think about being a barber ?" 

"hmm no. I don't think that would be a very good idea . have you ever heard of a man called Sweeney Todd ?"

"no.who is he ?"

"a character from the Penny Dreadfuls, I believe. a truly horrific story about a barber. I have a copy of it somewhere I'll get it for you in a moment "

"I do rather enjoy the Penny Dreadfuls. haven't read one in ages though "

he hums to let her know he's listening as he runs his hand through her hair looking for more tangles but finding none he exhales through his nose and hands her back the comb. her back is to him he'd knelt behind her on the bed to have easier access to her hair.

he goes to get up from behind her on the bed but she looks back at him. "that wasn't your first time brushing a girl's hair, was it Dr. Reid ?" 

"no. I used to brush my sister's hair when we were children"

"really ?"

"yes"

she hums as he gets out from behind her walking over to his workbench to make some remedies for the citizens of Whitechapel. he rolls up his sleeves and sets to work.

 

 

**Later on.....**

 

he returns from Whitechapel in an irritated state of mind as he enters the Pembroke Hospital through the side entrance with a couple of conversations here and there with a few of the other doctors and nurses.

he discovers Dr. Strickland is experimenting on the patients with a formula of his own making.

this troubles him deeply.

he'd found the list of ingredients the young doctor had been administering to the patients on the corpse of a man found outside a medical supplies company in Whitechapel. he confronts Dr. Strickland and stresses how dangerous it is to test experimental remedies on people that have no knowledge of what they're receiving .

he offers to amend the formula for him to make it …. less dangerous for everyone involved.

he's grateful to Dr. Reid who nods and leaves to tend to his patients for minor ailments, a fatigue remedy for Mr. Goswick and a migraine remedy for Mr. Elmwood , a neuralgia remedy for Thelma ,Queen of Darkness before he ascended upstairs.

he has to change his clothes.

he enters his quarters to see Lady Asbury administering a salve to Tarquin's forearms due to the numerous deep  scratches littered across them. he hides his surprise well that she's in his room but he feels like she came in here for a specific reason, maybe to snoop on him or feed on his young protégé . he feels protective towards Tarquinius and he's witnessed Lady Ashbury feeding on a dying patient so it's a valid fear he has. 

trust is a rare thing with him nowadays.

 

 

 Lady Ashbury looks to him with her bright green eyes and sees him arch up an eyebrow at her.

amusement drenches into her features.

"ah Dr. Reid , been busy attending to your patients, I see ?" 

he hums in response and swiftly approaches his bed lowering himself down on the free space beside his young protégé .

he eyes her critically for any  fresh wounds , Lady Ashbury spots his behaviour and laughs.

"forgive me Dr. Reid, but you look so mistrusting right now " she says as he glares up at her only to realise she probably really did come up here just to check in on his young protégé, Tarquinius.

"sorry" he mutters quietly to which she only nods.

he sighs and rests a hand on his protégé's good leg.

"Tarquin, how's the pain ?" he says directing his gaze to the girl in his bed.

"it's manageable " she says and Lady Ashbury prods her bad leg with a finger.

the girl swears at her and Lady Asbury shrugs. "you have to be honest with your physician or else your healing progress will suffer"

Dr.Reid preps some opium for her.

Lady Ashbury bids them goodnight and leaves them. 

Dr.Reid fills a syringe with some opium and strides over to the bed.

"you should feel a little pinch....and goodnight Tarquin"

he puts the glass syringe back onto his medical workbench.

he reads a letter left for him with Dr. Swansea, it's from Commodore Carter, he shoulda known.

he reads it by the lamplight and sighs after reading it.

he pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

he leaves the letter on the workbench and sits down in his armchair pulling a heavy blanket over himself to go to sleep .

he can feel the dawn approaching.

he closes his eyes and faces the door to his room.

 

**two weeks later.....**

it's been two weeks since Tarquin had her leg broken by a rogue ill formed beast child.

she finds Dr.Reid has a very attentive bedside manner.

it's as if he knows what she's going through.

she's leaning against his side on the bed as he reads the newspaper.

"Dr. Reid ?"

"yes ?"

"have you ever broken bones before ?" she asks her voice tinged with curiosity.

"well I've sprained my ankle twice as a boy but no I haven't. not yet anyways. why do you ask ?"

"well it's like...you knew what I needed before I even had to ask for it"

"ah well my sister broke her tibia as a child and I essentially became her own personal slave for an entire month"

"sounds like she put you through your paces "

"oh she knew how to push my buttons alright" he answers with a deep rumbling laugh.

she looks up at him.

"do you …miss her ?"

"yes it's odd knowing I'll never attend a ball with her again to fend off potential suitors or that we'll never have a snowball fight after Christmas dinner. well you know what I mean" he finishes lamely.

she looks at him with pity before resting her head against his shoulder.

they're silent for what seems like an eternity before a man in the surgery screams in agony as he has his arm operated on. they were running low on pain medication again even though the man had been informed of this he'd insisted on the operation as soon as possible.

 


End file.
